Should I Drop Anthony Richardson? Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 9 (2024)

Heading into the 2024 NFL season, Anthony Richardson was the definition of a high-upside fantasy quarterback, thanks to his freakish size, arm, and athleticism. He’s shown some flashes, but he's been more bust than boom this year, leading to plenty of frustration from fantasy managers.

Remember, Richardson's only had one full season as a starting quarterback going all the way back to his high school days, so there were bound to be some growing pains along the way.

Should fantasy managers drop Richardson ahead of Week 9? Let's dive in and find out the best strategy moving forward!

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Should I Drop Anthony Richardson in Fantasy Football?

Through 10 career games, Richardson’s stats tell the story: 109 of 217 passing (50.2% completion rate) for 1,535 yards, with seven passing touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s a work in progress, no doubt. But it’s his rushing that boosts his fantasy appeal: 66 carries for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns, giving him that edge we love in fantasy quarterbacks.

QB change: The #Colts are planning to start Joe Flacco this Sunday night against the #Vikings, sources say. A major move, as the former first-rounder Anthony Richardson heads to the bench. pic.twitter.com/p6jQuGh3iu

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 29, 2024

Nonetheless, context is everything and given where Richardson was drafted in fantasy this summer, it's understandable why patience is wearing thin not just on fantasy rosters, but on his real-life NFL team as well.

The Colts are 4-4 on the season and in the thick of the AFC Wildcard race. Richardson missed three games earlier in the year due to injury, and veteran Joe Flacco filled in nicely for Richardson during them. To complicate matters further, the Colts went 2-1 with Flacco while he threw for 716 yards to go with seven touchdowns and one interception, leading to a lot of questions about where the Colts go from here.

Who Should I Pickup in Week 9 Fantasy Football?

Given the Colts change to Flacco, Richardson can be dropped in just about all formats.

Of Anthony Richardson's 22 incompletions yesterday, I counted 7 bad throws

Hit the receiver in the hands on 8 of those 22
Hit as he was throwing on 6
With a couple of "wtf was that route" thrown in there

Not sold on him being the future, but it's too early to say he's a bust. pic.twitter.com/Atu1dCaamq

— Eli (@degenEli) October 28, 2024

You can kick the tires on Flacco (2% rostered) or Justin Herbert (41% rostered) Bo Nix (31% rostered), or Jameis Winston (5% rostered) in the meantime.

There's plenty of frustration with Richardson among the fantasy community and Colts fans, and unfortunately shows how the NFL has a problem with developing quarterbacks. There's no patience anymore.

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